1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a device and method for towing a rider on a water sports apparatus over a body of water behind a towing vessel and, more specifically for such a device for towing a small child or infant on such a water sports apparatus, and a method for manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Towable water sports devices are used in various recreational and professional activities. These devices include water skis, kneeboards, wakeboards, water ski boards, tubes and other devices which are towed behind a motor boat or other towing vessel along with a rider. In the various watersports of this type in which a person is towed behind a watercraft, such as water skiing, wakeboarding, knee boarding, air chair riding, float tube (e.g., inner tubes) riding, and the like (collectively referred to herein as “water-tow sports”), the person must typically hold onto a special handle (e.g., a “water ski handle”). The handle, referred to herein as a “water-tow sport handle,” is typically connected to one end of a rope having another end connected to the rear of the watercraft, such as a motor powered ski boat.
The use of a conventional water-tow sport handle requires a constant grip which is very tiring, even for an adult, and also requires a good deal of manual dexterity. The use of such a conventional handle is beyond the capability of many younger children, especially in the case of an infant having the desire to learn to ski.
In the case of adult skiers, many different alternative structures have been proposed to improve upon the traditional ski handle arrangement. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,991,502, shows a belt which is configured to be worn around a person's waist, and a holder secured to the belt. The holder is configured to hold onto a water-tow sport handle. The holder can hold the water-tow sport handle while the belt is being worn around the person's waist and as the handle is being pulled away from the belt, for example by a rope attached to the rear of a watercraft. During use, a special pin arrangement is provided which advantageously breaks to release the portion of the holder that holds onto the water-tow sport handle when the user falls during skiing, wakeboarding, or the like.
Despite the various problems with traditional water-tow sport handles of the type described above, designers of water ski equipment have not generally adopted alternative designs involving tow bars or handle bars attached to ski's or water boards. U.S. Pat. No. 7,374,180, shows a snowboard “scooter” formed of a one-piece platform wide enough to accommodate the width of two feet. This snowboard design also features a fixable post and a handlebar, and a brake system actuated either at the handlebar or by direct contact with one of the user's feet. However, the design is not practical for use on water.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,652,422, is another prior art design which shows a special vehicle designed to glide on snow or ice. The vehicle is formed of a footboard with a runner at each longitudinal end thereof, a steering handlebar fastened pivotally with the front end of the footboard, and a braking device fastened with the rear end of the footboard. Again, the device is not practical for use on water.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,025,541, shows a water sport training device in the form of a raft having an inflatable upper bladder support upon a pliable foam body board. In use, a person straddles a seat portion of the device with the feet being supported on either side of the seat on the body board. The device is relatively bulky, more in the nature of a watercraft than a ski training device and fails to give a user a more realistic feeling of the actual water skiing experience.
A need continues to exist for improvements in the design of water sports equipment of the described, especially in the area of equipment intended to be used by small children or infants.